Baby Steps
by cloudofcalm
Summary: Angel discovers that Buffy has a small half-sister, the daughter of Hank and his secretary, who has been taken by the firm for a demon ascension. He, Dawn and Buffy have to rescue their brand new sister before the end of the world. Again.
1. Baby steps

Baby Steps

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, they are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy ex al. Except for Cady.

Okay, I have a basic plot, and it's based, loosely, on gidgetgirl's 'Legal' challenge on CCS archive. So *nods* to gidgetgirl, thanks for the borrowing. 

*

"The femur's connected to the, thigh bone, the thigh bone's connected to the hip bone, the hipbone's connected to-"Dawn paused in her hum-age and absently stopped flicking through the files to tug at her shirt. Just what was the darn hipbone connected to? 

"Dawn, have you pulled up that list yet?" Harmony strode into the room, and bestowed a beaming smile on her brand new minion...underling...intern. Dawn rolled her eyes as a response. When Angel had offered the internship at Wolfram and Hart as a way of making quick summer cash for school, she'd jumped at the chance. Where else was Ancient Sumerian a viable plus on her job prospects? Unfortunately, the fine print of the contract had been, 'Harmony. Work under.' 

Harmony sighed heavily, tapping one pale pink Barbie-esque heel on the Record Department's cream coloured carpet, and Dawn knew without even looking that she was pulling the 'I'm waiting, so you'd better hurry up, or else, in the nicest possible way' face. Harmony had never really managed the whole minion-control thing. Not, Dawn silently corrected herself, that she, Dawn, was anything resembling a minion. It had been hard enough to get Harmony off her happy of 'Minions? I get minions now?' kick, and persuade the blonde vampire that two years of service at Wolfram and Hart did not equate with a bonus of one summer minion. 

"I haven't, yet," Dawn said finally, turning to face the vampire. Truth be told, digging through stacks of paper in an area of Wolfram and Hart built before the concept of air-con had been conceived, in blazing July-time heat was not her idea of the Dawnie-party-time. Harmony frowned, and took the top stack of documents from her, and then broke into a happy smile. 

"Cute outfit." 

Dawn looked down at herself, reminding herself of the oh-so pretty white and blue sundress that she'd sneaked from Buffy's closet pre-internship packing time. Oh yeah, way with the sneaky Dawn. She grinned back at Harmony. It wasn't often that you found a boss whose mood would lighten based on your almighty fashion sense, she added to her inner monologue. In some ways, Harmony was pretty cool. For one thing, you'd never end up making her coffee and fetching her a doughnut. 

"Okay, I need fifty copies of each of these," Harmony said, with another bright smile, handing Dawn a stack of papers that she could barely see over the top of. Photocopying in internships, Dawn finished internally, was universal. 

Staggering toward the Xerox machine, she piled the papers on a side table, and leant against the copier, ready to baby-sit the machine for the rest of her afternoon. 

*

"You nearly done?" Dawn almost fell off her seat as the cute other-intern, the one who had bright blue eyes, a gorgeous smile and the job under Wes that she'd wanted, grinned at her, indicating a stack of books under his arm ruefully. "My Wyndham-Pryce wants these done by five." 

"Yeah," she managed, spinning around to gather the sheets together, and knocking over a pile of them in the process. She winced, and began gathering them together, cute Intern Guy bending to help her. 

"Thanks," she began, ready to dazzle him with the hair flip of the century, matched only by her, 'you want to ask me out' smile, when the name on the top of a piece of paper lying in front of her made her stop. 

'Summers, Ally and Hank (m)'

Hank Summers? Hank was way up there on the common American names list, as was Summers, but Hank Summers? And Ally – briefly, Dawn remembered being ten again, and squished behind the banisters as Buffy and Mom had a blazing argument. 

'Your father is still shacked up with that little slut of a secretary, Ally Miller, so don't expect him to come running.' 

Ally Miller, and Hank Summers. Her ears roaring, and feeling slightly dizzy, Dawn picked up the sheet, and scanned it. 

"Summers, Ally and Hank(m)

Children – one – Cadence Annabel 

DOB – 17/10/98

P - 7

Paid - $500,000'

Cadence Annabel, the seven-year-old daughter of her dad and his secretary? What did they call her, Dawn wondered wildly, her mind fuzzy, Cadence was too long for her dad to manage, and they'd always been 'ies' to him. 'Buffy', 'Dawnie', even 'Joycie' when he had had too much wine at a dinner party. Cady? Annie? Cadence sounded like the name a trashy secretary would choose, Dawn decided, aware of not being rational right this minute. It didn't even sound like a name. Was Cadence a legitimate name? At least she hadn't been called after one of the 'Friends' girls, Dawn reasoned. A little sister named 'Courtney', 'Monica', 'Rachel', or 'Phoebe' would be way more difficult to deal with than seven-year-old little Cadence Annabel who had appeared out of no-where. 

It had to be her dad's kid, she realised. Annabel Summers was the name of her grandma on her dad's side. Annabel was too classy a name for a twenty-something secretary not above stealing dads from their kids. 

A small thought poked up from deep inside her, a thought Dawn squished instantly, the kind of thought left over from their move to Sunnydale, when Buffy had been little Miss Popular, and Dawn's classmates had laughed at her, for being the L.A girl, and having a sister who got kicked out. The thought was persistent though, sneaky little thought, and wriggled into her mind. 

Maybe the reason her dad hadn't gotten in contact with her was because her didn't want her any more? Cadence was his new little girl, and he didn't need his gawky nine-year-old because he had a brand new cute baby, who didn't have braces, and didn't knock stuff over all the time. 

She balled the page, and held it in her fist. This was a Buffy-sized moment, and brand-new sisters appearing out of nowhere was her forte, not Dawn's. 

*

The muscles of his shoulders glistened under dark chocolate coloured skin. He turned, his face and torso marked with the ritual scars and blood of the ceremony and the ceremonies before. 

He raised the vessel above his head, and let one drop of the deep red liquid spill into the fire. Acrid smoke billowed, and he smiled, a horrible expression in the marked face. 

'Ai ismar tatha'ii el,' he bellowed the sounds, and they echoed deep into the stillness. 

"It's nearly time," he whispered. 

*

A/N: Next chapter, what exactly were Hank and Ally being paid for, Buffy and Angel meet for the first time in two years, as does Spike. 


	2. All fall down'

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination, characters and situations are the property of Joss Whedon ex al. I do not own the plot, as it is based on a challenge by gidgetgirl at CCS, plus tweakage. I do own Cadence, though. 

A/N: Okay, I'm big with the chapter updation, mainly because I know once exams hit in, I'm going to be way not with the updating. So you get two chapters, not one. In answer to questions,

Gidgetgirl 

_I have a nickname for Cadence. You'll have to wait and see what her nickname is!_

ReganX 

_Cadence gets a nickname. Hank selling his kid? Hmm... maybe you should reserve judgement on that. _

*

Chapter Two – 'All Fall Down'

"We have a sister?" Buffy looked almost childlike as bemusement crossed her face. "Dad... had another kid?" Dawn chewed her lower lip, trying not to see the look of betrayal and pain in her older sister's eyes. It had been a long time since Buffy had been hurt, that they had been hurt. A long time, of OJ in the fridge, and college, and pizza'n'movie night when they were back in America. 

"Is she.." Buffy broke off her sentence, her green gaze sweeping Dawn's face as awkward concern entered her voice. "Is she, you know, real?" 

Okay, ouch, Dawn conceded. Remembering that she wasn't the real sister, was still, whatever happened a mystical Key-thingy made human was definitely of the world of pain. 

"Yeah," she answered, her voice pitched low. She swallowed, clearing her throat and nodded once more, brightly, as confirmation. "Definitely with the live-non-Key-like sister-ness. She's one of the Summers. Angel pulled her mom's records up. She was working for Wolfram and Hart at one point." 

Buffy turned and walked a few paces, hugging herself, her shoulders tight and tense. Silence was not of the good here. 

"It's okay, right?" Dawn asked, after a few moments of the awkward quiet. "I was right to, you know, tell you?" Her eyes went to meet Buffy's, worried. Buffy pasted on a bright smile. 

"Yeah, of course, Dawnie," she dismissed it, almost nonchalantly. "It's fine. We have a half sister." 

"There's something else," Dawn rushed on before Buffy could say anything. "There's something uber-odd going on. Her mom left the firm three years ago, little office party, a rubber plant, the works. She and Dad moved to San Francisco," she gave a little nod to Buffy; they'd already known their dad's change of address. "Thing is," she added, "I did some probing on my break. Ally Summers filed a police report in Los Angeles in 2002, reporting a missing person. Her daughter."

Buffy raised her eyebrows, looking back at Dawn. "You think there's an oogedy-boogedy reason to why she's missing?" Dawn shook her head.

"Kinda. Don't you think it's weird that she worked for this big firm with all those legal contacts, all those Seers and stuff, and she made no mention of it? She had no-one on the case from Wolfram and Hart, there's no indication of Cadence on her file, I had to pull up the police report on the microfilm in the Records. And then, poof," Dawn snapped her fingers triumphantly, "Two months later? Report dropped."

"They found her?" Buffy queried, folding her arms across her chest. Dawn shrugged. 

"No mention of it. One day it was there, big font in the newspaper, the next day, nada. And then I found this, it was the thing that started it all off," Dawn handed Buffy the piece of paper. The Slayer quickly scanned it, reading across the print. 

"Five hundred thousand dollars? That's a lot of money," she whistled, looking back up at Dawn. 

"I think Wolfram and Hart have record of this somewhere," Dawn pronounced, taking the paper back. "Cadence is still missing, Buffy, and you know Dad had that car thing two years ago? I don't think that was big up on the coincidence list. I think Wolfram and Hart have something to do with this," she said, more determinedly. 

"Our sister is still out there?" Buffy mused it over, nodding. "Okay." She took her jacket off the hook by the door, and slung it around her shoulders. 

"Where are you going?" Dawn frowned, staring at her sister. Buffy's lips tightened into a thin line. 

"I'm going to go and see Angel."

*

The lump at the bottom of the bed squirmed, and a small head poked out from under the Little Mermaid bedspread, pink from the warmth. 

"I'm not scared," the little girl said out loud, a little high-pitched, hugging the bedraggled and faded teddy bear tighter, so as not to lose grip. She blew a wisp of light brown hair out of her eyes and looked up at the window. A flash lit up the room, and she gave a little squeak, and dived under the covers. 

"I'm still not scared," she informed the silence, her voice muffled by the bedspread. Pushing the quilt back, she sighed heavily, a very adult sigh for a child, as her left thumb found her mouth. "Maybe they've given up," she addressed the bear around her thumb, dancing the stuffed animal across her stomach to amuse herself. The bear didn't answer. 

"Ring a ring of roses, a pocket full of posies," she began to sing to herself, her voice high and clear and childlike. She made the teddy-bear dance once more, holding it high in the air above her. 

"Atishoo, atishoo," she sang, as a loud crash of thunder boomed. She dived for the Disney quilt once more, sitting up in bed huddled under it, the bear's nose poking out. 

"Okay, okay," she sounded faintly annoyed, "I'm a little scared." 

*

A/N: Short update. Future goodness – Angel and Spike rivalry as Buffy arrives at Wolfram and Hart, little girl fun, and the rest of the AI team in Wolfram and Hart prepare for the arrival of the Slayer. 

Please review!!! 


	3. Demon

Faroth really didn't want to go in that room. He had two options, being a lower level demon and likely to get his butt kicked for insubordination if he didn't do as he was told. He could try and find someone lower level than him -which was difficult, as Faroth's ritual tattoos were still fresh, and a little red around the tiny skulls decorating the symbol of the group, which was a dead give away that he was new- and order them to do it, or he could go in, and pray to Immith, Oh Great and Fiery Lady of Evil that must not be Spoken that he did not go insane.  
  
He ran a finger around underneath the edge of his collar, swallowing a bit and moistened his lips with the tip of his forked tongue. Faroth, despite being new had a sense of impeccable style that he refused to edit for the typical sacking robe. He was a demon who thought that if you really had to do evil rituals by candlelight at midnight on evil sabbats, the least you could do is wear Armani, and get a kick out of wearing clothes from a truly evil corporation.  
  
At the thought, Faroth bowed his head, and prayed fervently to Immith that someday he would become as unspeakably wicked as Armani. He refused to allow himself to hope for the heady heights of Versace.  
  
By this time, prayers said and a quick glance around to check that no-one was watching, he gulped and turned the handle.  
  
Cadence Annabel Summers looked up from rocking her dolly to bestow a sweet, pearly-toothed smile on him. Her light brown hair had been combed smoothly to part into two silky pigtails. Her pale pink dungarees were neat and clean. In the existence of seven-year-old children, there was possibly no cuter or sweet looking child. She was unholy.  
  
"Hello," she said politely, little dimples appearing in her cheeks as she grinned adorably at him. 'Are you here to play with me?" She held up her doll for him to inspect. Dolly was wearing a pretty pink dress. Someone had poked out Dolly's eyes.  
  
Faroth wished his mother had drowned him at birth rather than given him to the priests.  
  
/  
  
"Buffy."  
  
There was an awkward pause, as awkward as most pauses get. This was the pause to end all pausal breaks. Buffy Summers, the Slayer in capitals, five foot two inches, blond, granted with the title of 'perky' by her sister and having slept with all the men in the room – or vampires, whichever term preferred- felt officially awkward. It wasn't a good feeling. Dawn walked over and hugged Spike.  
  
"You're okay," she said, inspecting him for holes, or well, signs of imminent dust-age. "You didn't die." Her tone turned accusatory. She scowled at him, her blue eyes narrowing. "Hey. Why didn't you call Buffy when you didn't die?"  
  
She had, Buffy decided, firm in her stance of 'not-talking', covered about every awkward issue in the space of two nano-seconds. It was also the end of the pause. Which, Buffy concluded wistfully, meant she had to talk.  
  
"S'complicated, Dawn," Spike said, his lips twitching into a pained smile as he ran his hands distractedly through his blond hair, standing it on end. He slid a look at Buffy. Dawn frowned once again.  
  
"Hey," she said again, this time confused. She looked faintly perplexed. "Why didn't I see you?"  
  
"He was in Rome," Angel intercepted the conversation, stepping out from the corner of the room. Buffy watched him, slightly panicked. This was good, she was confronting issues. She had two of her ex lovers in the room, and they worked together. Bad Buffy!  
  
"What did you do in Rome?" Buffy asked, finally speaking. Her eyebrow rose in a questioning look. Spike shuffled, and looked distinctly uncomfortable.  
  
"Met a few old friends," he said evasively. "Took care of a little... unfinished business." He glanced at Angel, who looked away guiltily. Buffy's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Quit with the Godfather talk, Spike," she said impatiently, her hands on her hips. "What aren't you saying?"  
  
"Why did you date the Immortal?" Spike suddenly blurted out, glaring at her. He sighed, looking dejected. "I mean, of course he's attractive, in an obvious way, if you like that sort of thing, but please! All those flashy tricks," his voice dripped scorn as if he wasn't acting like a lost eight year old with his favourite toy taken away, "He's not your type. Believe me."  
  
"And you were?" Angel interrupted, incredulously, his eyebrows sky-high. "C'mon, Spike, if anyone-"  
  
"Did you just kill her ex?" Dawn interrupted, laughter edging its way into her voice. She looked at Buffy, her eyes dancing. "They killed your ex."  
  
"Are you, like, five?" Buffy demanded, staring at the two well-over-one- hundred vampires before her. If they could've blushed, they would've done. She waved a hand, sighing. "I don't care. Angel, I need to find someone. And I need your help." The Slayer's jaw tightened, and determination steeled her hazel eyes. Angel nodded.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy, whatever I can do. Who are you looking for?" he asked, puzzled.  
  
"Our sister," Dawn answered.  
  
A/N: Short update, but a taste of what is to come. Next chapter, Cadence bullies the help, Dawn and Buffy search and find quite a lot of information, and plans are made for finding their sister.  
  
Please review!! 


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